Spicy~Crunchy Coriander Leaves~Roasted Peanut Chutney.

“Spicy~Crunchy Coriander Leaves~Roasted Peanut (Groundnut) Chutney” … This is a delicious sandwich chutney with crunchy taste of peanuts that tastes awesome when used as bread spread either to relish as it is on toast or for sandwiches … You can also apply it on Creme' Crackers and Enjoy them like me .... Yummy Yumz ....

** “Chutney” … I am sure every Indian has not only come across this seven letter word, but has also relished it definitely at some point in their life. Isn't that so ?? South Indians who are interested in cooking various dishes are sure to know more than hundreds of varieties of chutney that can be prepared both in wet and dry form to serve with Idly / dosa / appams etc. I myself have posted so many varieties and there are definitely many more to come. It is a pleasure to relish these chutneys by either dunking the dosa piece in it or the Idly piece too, not to mention appos that taste awesome when done so. From childhood I have been crazy of sandwiches, I think I have mentioned this in some sandwich post of mine before too. When all my friends wanted to enjoy dosas and Idly, I always craved for sandwiches. My mother never prepared much sandwiches as in those days bread was considered a taboo and mothers always saw to it that the children ate good nutritious food. Also those days it was joint family system / large families with at least minimum of 8-10 people, so inclusion of bread would turn out not only expensive but also insufficient for so many members. 

** Being a student of convent throughout my studying period I had many catholic friends who many a times had sandwiches for bf or would even bring the same in their lunch box. This is exactly how I learned about these sandwiches and would pester my Mom to prepare them and trust me she never liked it much, well she still does not like it, though when we apply a generous portion of chutney she eats it, but her heart is always on Idlies and dosas. Food habits are difficult to change once formed and these are actually cultivated within us mostly during our growing up years and through adolescent lives. What we grow up eating during our childhood days is what we end up eating in advanced stage of our life, that is what the statistics say. The in between age I guess is a rebellion sort with wanting to try other options and preferring something else than which is our routine, but I have noticed in many that it is the fancy always for a decade or so, once that teenage to somewhere thirties has crossed by one goes back to eating that food which he/she grew up eating. My case is no different, I definitely prefer Idly/khotto/dosas to burgers or samosas. But sandwich is one dish that has stuck with me still as of now. 

** After marriage I was delighted to know that hubby loved sandwiches, he still loves them, ok, let me be frank, he loves good food in general and will relish anything as long as it is tasty. But yes sandwiches are his favorite, specially with a good spicy coriander chutney. This is one bf dish that he keeps asking me to do besides omelette another favorite English bf dish of his. So as we both love sandwiches, I try making different types of chutneys giving them my own twists which sometimes turn out good, at times Very good and at times just ok. But till date there is not a single chutney that turned out a disaster and that which I had to chuck out, and I thank God for it, coz. I hate wasting food. I will recycle food or give away when in excess but not a single morsel of food goes into my dustbin as a wasted food. This is something I learnt from my hubby immediately after marriage, that was what he first told me, don’t waste food, cook only that much how much is necessary and I follow it to date and urge all of you to do so to. There are many people out there who do not get to eat sometimes for days, and food wasted is food denied and Plz. do also make it a point to teach this to your children at a young age so that they follow it throughout their life and pass on the same to coming generations.

** Coming to the chutney part this is a very simple chutney without any fuss whatsoever. Coriander leaves are available in huge bundles during winter or rather almost throughout the year in Mumbai and are really not that costly. Peanuts/groundnuts, I have noticed are also something that forms a major part of Maharashtrian Cuisine. They include them a lot into their food preparations, this I learnt from my neighbor Kulkarni aaji who was simply brilliant at the age of 80 yrs, when it came to preparing dishes with anything available in hand. I have learnt a lot from her and these are some people in my life journey that I came across who have undoubtedly contributed a lot of food knowledge to me and to whom I will always remain indebted. We Konkani Saraswats always add on Coconut to most of our dishes and I usually prepare wet chutney with addition of the same, while for the dry ones I use either roasted coconut or grains etc. I have yet to venture into more of peanut dishes, but intend to do so, so this one is with the addition of roasted peanuts which I have kept a little crunchy for enjoying the crunch on eating. Groundnuts/peanuts are good source proteins and low in carbohydrates. Though they are high in fat content they are also excellent source of various vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers, which are important for a healthy growth in younger generation and for maintaining of health of older generation too. 

** Here is my simple method of preparing “Spicy~Crunchy Coriander Leaves~Roasted Peanut Chutney” … My Style … 

** You will need a large bundle of coriander leaves, pick the leaves, wash and chop them, in all you should have at least 6-8 packed cups, you can add in the tender stems too. 

** You will also need about 2 cups of roasted peanuts. I always have them microwaved and ready, in case you do not have, you can roast 2 cups in a kadai and allow it to cool before using the same. And there is no need to remove the skin, I have added them on. 

** Put the coriander leaves in a mixer grinder along with 12-15 green chillies depending upon how spicy they are, with a small marble sized tamarind, about 12-15 medium sized garlic (peeled), 2 inch piece of ginger cut into small pieces and 12-15 fresh curry leaves. You can add in ¼ cup of water to make it into a smooth paste. 

** Once the coriander and the ingredients have turned fine add in salt to taste and half of the roasted peanuts and further grind till they are mixed well and you get a good thick chutney consistency. Lastly add in the remaining ground nuts and further grind till they are coarsely ground and mixed. Do not over-grind at this point or else you will not get the crunchy effect.

** Note : Once you add in the groundnuts while grinding, DO NOT GRIND on high speed continuously. Peanuts or for that matter any nuts should not be ground on high speed as when done so, the oil within the nuts begin to ooze out and then it's all messy and not at all tasty to eat. So be careful while grinding and give in pauses as you grind and allow the hot air if any to pass away by opening the lid in between and also mixing it well with a spoon. 

** “Spicy~Crunchy Coriander Leaves~Roasted Peanut Chutney” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best when applied on bread slices and served as it is on toasts or as a sandwich with some fillings within. I applied it on the inner side of Bombay Pav, added in a slice each of tomato, cucumber and cooked potato and enjoyed it like a sandwich.  I also applied a generous portion of the same on Creme' Crackers (Biscuits) and relished it which is my favorite way. You can prepare them and relish like any other sandwiches you prepare. 

** I loved the crunchy taste in the chutney very much. This is definitely going to be loved by children very much as they like crunchy eatables very much. Serve them these sandwiches when they come home hungry from school or after playtime, they will love it very much. I have prepared a huge batch of this chutney so will be adding them on in many more types of sandwiches. Do try this out and enjoy with your family and friends. Remains good for 2-3 days in fridge, above that I have not kept it, so I have no idea. 

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